This article is part of our Weekly Rankings series.
Here are our rankings for the coming week at each position to help you decide your starting lineup. Our rankings are based on the following scoring system: four points for a passing touchdown; six points for a rushing/receiving touchdown; one point for every 20 passing yards; and one point for every 10 rushing/receiving yards. Flex Rankings are for PPR leagues.
We'll do one update of the rankings before Saturday's games. For further injury information, check the "Latest News" portion of the site. These rankings are just for this week - if you want overall playoff rankings, check Chris Liss's playoff ranks.
By all means, if you want to discuss a rank, or want me to add a player, chime in on the comments. I try to be receptive to your feedback and try to respond to most comments, though on occasion the volume can be quite thick. Please refer to the rankings first when asking "should I start Player A vs. Player B?".
Friday Night Update Complete
Quarterback
| 1. | Aaron Rodgers GB vs. SF Note: A little bit of rust initially in his first game back from the broken collarbone, but came up huge in the end. |
| 2. | Nick Foles PHI vs. NO |
| 3. | Drew Brees NO at Phi Note: Back on the road, in a night game at Philly. |
| 4. | Andy Dalton CIN vs. SD Note: A little bit of Good Dalton, a little bit of Bad Dalton in Week 17. Nonetheless, this is a pretty good set-up |
Here are our rankings for the coming week at each position to help you decide your starting lineup. Our rankings are based on the following scoring system: four points for a passing touchdown; six points for a rushing/receiving touchdown; one point for every 20 passing yards; and one point for every 10 rushing/receiving yards. Flex Rankings are for PPR leagues.
We'll do one update of the rankings before Saturday's games. For further injury information, check the "Latest News" portion of the site. These rankings are just for this week - if you want overall playoff rankings, check Chris Liss's playoff ranks.
By all means, if you want to discuss a rank, or want me to add a player, chime in on the comments. I try to be receptive to your feedback and try to respond to most comments, though on occasion the volume can be quite thick. Please refer to the rankings first when asking "should I start Player A vs. Player B?".
Friday Night Update Complete
Quarterback
| 1. | Aaron Rodgers GB vs. SF Note: A little bit of rust initially in his first game back from the broken collarbone, but came up huge in the end. |
| 2. | Nick Foles PHI vs. NO |
| 3. | Drew Brees NO at Phi Note: Back on the road, in a night game at Philly. |
| 4. | Andy Dalton CIN vs. SD Note: A little bit of Good Dalton, a little bit of Bad Dalton in Week 17. Nonetheless, this is a pretty good set-up for him. |
| 5. | Colin Kaepernick SF at GB Note: Threw for 310 yards on the road against a tough Arizona defense, his best result since playing the Packers in Week 1 (when he threw for 412 yards). |
| 6. | Andrew Luck IND vs. KC |
| 7. | Philip Rivers SD at Cin |
| 8. | Alex Smith KC at Ind Note: Chase Daniel looked competent at times in place of Smith, until that final sequence in overtime. |
Running Backs
| 1. | LeSean McCoy PHI vs. NO |
| 2. | Jamaal Charles KC at Ind |
| 3. | *Frank Gore SF at GB Note: (Knee) Full practice Wednesday. Listed as probable. |
| 4. | *Ryan Mathews SD at Cin Note: (Ankle) Briefly limped to the locker room, but came back and grinded out 27 carries. Did not practice Wednesday. Didn't practice Thursday, but practiced Friday and is listed as probable. |
| 5. | *Eddie Lacy GB vs. SF Note: (Ankle) Emerged from Week 17 much better than he had the previous week. Limited practice Wednesday. Listed as probable. The extreme cold might work against him if he has a hard time keeping loose. |
| 6. | Giovani Bernard CIN vs. SD |
| 7. | Donald Brown IND vs. KC Note: Small bump - had a big game against the Chiefs two weeks ago. |
| 8. | BenJarvus Green-Ellis CIN vs. SD |
| 9. | *Mark Ingram NO at Phi Note: Bumped up with the PT Cruiser inactive. |
| 10. | Danny Woodhead SD at Cin |
| 11. | *Darren Sproles NO at Phi Note: Bumped up with the PT Cruiser inactive. |
| 12. | James Starks GB vs. SF Note: With Starks now fully healthy, he's a reliable backup in case Lacy's ankle acts up, though the matchup isn't inviting this week. |
| 13. | Kendall Hunter SF at GB |
| 14. | Knile Davis KC at Ind |
| 15. | Trent Richardson IND vs. KC Note: In the brief windows in which I was watching the Colts' game, it looked like he had some verve. But then you look at the final line from last week, and it's the same old eight carries for 25 yards. |
| 16. | Bryce Brown PHI vs. NO |
| 17. | Chris Polk PHI vs. NO |
| 18. | *Khiry Robinson NO at Phi Note: Added to the list with Pierre Thomas out. |
| 19. | Anthony Dixon SF at GB |
| 20. | *Pierre Thomas NO at Phi Note: (Chest) Did not practice Wednesday. Officially out for Saturday's game. |
Wide Receivers
| 1. | *A.J. Green CIN vs. SD Note: (Knee) Sat out of Wednesday's practice. Full practice Friday, listed as probable. |
| 2. | Jordy Nelson GB vs. SF Note: Had a whopping 16 targets in the win over the Bears - think he missed Rodgers? |
| 3. | DeSean Jackson PHI vs. NO |
| 4. | Anquan Boldin SF at GB |
| 5. | Marques Colston NO at Phi |
| 6. | Keenan Allen SD at Cin |
| 7. | Randall Cobb GB vs. SF |
| 8. | Riley Cooper PHI vs. NO |
| 9. | Marvin Jones CIN vs. SD Note: Has scored in three of his last four games. |
| 10. | T.Y. Hilton IND vs. KC |
| 11. | Michael Crabtree SF at GB |
| 12. | James Jones GB vs. SF |
| 13. | Lance Moore NO at Phi |
| 14. | *Dwayne Bowe KC at Ind Note: (Concussion) Has been cleared to practice, and practiced in full Wednesday. Officially listed as probable. |
| 15. | *Jason Avant PHI vs. NO Note: Suffered a shoulder contusion in the first half against the Cowboys but later returned. |
| 16. | Dexter McCluster KC at Ind |
| 17. | Griff Whalen IND vs. KC |
| 18. | Mohamed Sanu CIN vs. SD |
| 19. | *Eddie Royal SD at Cin Note: (Toe) Sat out of Wednesday's practice. Listed as questionable - he has played multiple times with this status during the season. |
| 20. | Andrew Hawkins CIN vs. SD |
| 21. | Da'Rick Rogers IND vs. KC |
| 22. | Lavon Brazill IND vs. KC |
| 23. | Kenny Stills NO at Phi Note: Both Meachem and Stills had just one target last week, and both made them count. |
| 24. | Jarrett Boykin GB vs. SF Note: Just two catches for eight yards with Randall Cobb back. |
| 25. | Vincent Brown SD at Cin |
| 26. | Robert Meachem NO at Phi |
| 27. | Junior Hemingway KC at Ind |
| 28. | *Darrius Heyward-Bey IND vs. KC Note: (Hamstring) Listed as probable. |
| 29. | A.J. Jenkins KC at Ind |
Tight Ends
| 1. | Jimmy Graham NO at Phi |
| 2. | Vernon Davis SF at GB |
| 3. | Antonio Gates SD at Cin |
| 4. | Zach Ertz PHI vs. NO |
| 5. | Brent Celek PHI vs. NO |
| 6. | Andrew Quarless GB vs. SF Note: Has just three catches the last two weeks. |
| 7. | *Jermaine Gresham CIN vs. SD Note: (Hamstring) Limited in Wednesday's practice. Full practice Friday, listed as questionable, but at least he got back on the field earlier than Eifert. |
| 8. | Ladarius Green SD at Cin Note: Averaging 22+ yards per catch and 12.5 yards per target, but has been targeted just four times in the last four weeks. Scored against the Bengals when they played earlier this year. |
| 9. | Coby Fleener IND vs. KC |
| 10. | Anthony Fasano KC at Ind |
| 11. | Ben Watson NO at Phi |
| 12. | *Tyler Eifert CIN vs. SD Note: (Neck) Didn't take part in Wednesday's practice. Full practice Friday, but listed as questionable. |
| 13. | Sean McGrath KC at Ind |
| 14. | Orson Charles CIN vs. SD |
| 15. | *Alex Smith CIN vs. SD Note: (Wrist) Has been placed on IR by the Bengals. |
Flex (RB/WR/TE)
| 1. | LeSean McCoy PHI vs. NO |
| 2. | Jamaal Charles KC at Ind |
| 3. | *A.J. Green CIN vs. SD Note: (Knee) Sat out of Wednesday's practice. Full practice Friday, listed as probable. |
| 4. | Jordy Nelson GB vs. SF Note: Had a whopping 16 targets in the win over the Bears - think he missed Rodgers? |
| 5. | Jimmy Graham NO at Phi |
| 6. | DeSean Jackson PHI vs. NO |
| 7. | *Frank Gore SF at GB Note: (Knee) Full practice Wednesday. Listed as probable. |
| 8. | Anquan Boldin SF at GB |
| 9. | *Ryan Mathews SD at Cin Note: (Ankle) Briefly limped to the locker room, but came back and grinded out 27 carries. Did not practice Wednesday. Didn't practice Thursday, but practiced Friday and is listed as probable. |
| 10. | *Eddie Lacy GB vs. SF Note: (Ankle) Emerged from Week 17 much better than he had the previous week. Limited practice Wednesday. Listed as probable. The extreme cold might work against him if he has a hard time keeping loose. |
| 11. | Vernon Davis SF at GB |
| 12. | Marques Colston NO at Phi |
| 13. | Keenan Allen SD at Cin |
| 14. | Randall Cobb GB vs. SF |
| 15. | Giovani Bernard CIN vs. SD |
| 16. | *Pierre Thomas NO at Phi Note: (Chest) Did not practice Wednesday. Officially out for Saturday's game. |
| 17. | Danny Woodhead SD at Cin |
| 18. | Antonio Gates SD at Cin |
| 19. | Riley Cooper PHI vs. NO |
| 20. | Marvin Jones CIN vs. SD Note: Has scored in three of his last four games. |
| 21. | T.Y. Hilton IND vs. KC |
| 22. | Michael Crabtree SF at GB |
| 23. | Donald Brown IND vs. KC Note: Small bump - had a big game against the Chiefs two weeks ago. |
| 24. | James Jones GB vs. SF |
| 25. | Lance Moore NO at Phi |
| 26. | *Dwayne Bowe KC at Ind Note: (Concussion) Has been cleared to practice, and practiced in full Wednesday. Officially listed as probable. |
| 27. | Zach Ertz PHI vs. NO |
| 28. | *Darren Sproles NO at Phi Note: Bumped up with the PT Cruiser inactive. |
| 29. | Brent Celek PHI vs. NO |
| 30. | BenJarvus Green-Ellis CIN vs. SD |
| 31. | *Jason Avant PHI vs. NO Note: Suffered a shoulder contusion in the first half against the Cowboys but later returned. |
| 32. | Dexter McCluster KC at Ind |
| 33. | Griff Whalen IND vs. KC |
| 34. | Trent Richardson IND vs. KC Note: In the brief windows in which I was watching the Colts' game, it looked like he had some verve. But then you look at the final line from last week, and it's the same old eight carries for 25 yards. |
| 35. | Mohamed Sanu CIN vs. SD |
| 36. | *Eddie Royal SD at Cin Note: (Toe) Sat out of Wednesday's practice. Listed as questionable - he has played multiple times with this status during the season. |
| 37. | Andrew Quarless GB vs. SF Note: Has just three catches the last two weeks. |
| 38. | *Jermaine Gresham CIN vs. SD Note: (Hamstring) Limited in Wednesday's practice. Full practice Friday, listed as questionable, but at least he got back on the field earlier than Eifert. |
| 39. | James Starks GB vs. SF Note: With Starks now fully healthy, he's a reliable backup in case Lacy's ankle acts up, though the matchup isn't inviting this week. |
| 40. | Kendall Hunter SF at GB |
| 41. | *Mark Ingram NO at Phi Note: Bumped up with the PT Cruiser inactive. |
| 42. | Knile Davis KC at Ind |
| 43. | Andrew Hawkins CIN vs. SD |
| 44. | Da'Rick Rogers IND vs. KC |
| 45. | Lavon Brazill IND vs. KC |
| 46. | Kenny Stills NO at Phi Note: Both Meachem and Stills had just one target last week, and both made them count. |
| 47. | Jarrett Boykin GB vs. SF Note: Just two catches for eight yards with Randall Cobb back. |
| 48. | Ladarius Green SD at Cin Note: Averaging 22+ yards per catch and 12.5 yards per target, but has been targeted just four times in the last four weeks. Scored against the Bengals when they played earlier this year. |
| 49. | Coby Fleener IND vs. KC |
| 50. | Anthony Fasano KC at Ind |
| 51. | Vincent Brown SD at Cin |
| 52. | Robert Meachem NO at Phi |
| 53. | Bryce Brown PHI vs. NO |
Kickers
| 1. | Mason Crosby GB vs. SF Note: Tied a career-high in points with 141. |
| 2. | Alex Henery PHI vs. NO |
| 3. | Phil Dawson SF at GB Note: Missed a chippie early in Week 17, then came up huge at the end. |
| 4. | Mike Nugent CIN vs. SD |
| 5. | Adam Vinatieri IND vs. KC |
| 6. | Nick Novak SD at Cin |
| 7. | Shayne Graham NO at Phi |
| 8. | Ryan Succop KC at Ind |
Defenses
| 1. | Cincinnati Bengals vs. SD |
| 2. | *Indianapolis Colts vs. KC Note: Bjoern Werner (ankle) did not practice Tuesday. Vontae Davis injured his groin Sunday, but MRI came back negative. Both listed as probable. |
| 3. | *Philadelphia Eagles vs. NO Note: Safety Earl Wolff (knee) is listed as questionable. |
| 4. | *Green Bay Packers vs. SF Note: Clay Matthews (thumb) has already been ruled out. |
| 5. | *Kansas City Chiefs at Ind Note: Tamba Hali (knee) did not practice Wednesday. Hali still has swelling in his knee and is listed as questionable. Justin Houston (elbow) is probable. |
| 6. | *San Francisco 49ers at GB Note: Carlos Rogers (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Rogers is listed as questionable, and fellow corner Eric Wright is also dealing with a sore hammy. In uber-cold weather that's expected Sunday evening, that's a problem. |
| 7. | New Orleans Saints at Phi |
| 8. | *San Diego Chargers at Cin Note: LB Tom Keiser was arrested on misdemeanor battery charges Sunday, but is expected to play this week. |
